'Democrats' Assault on the CIA'

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Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson absolutely nails it this morning as he skewers the Democrats for trashing the CIA and driving down morale at a time when we are fighting two wars and trying to stop terrorist attacks:

To stanch the CIA's bleeding morale, Democrats have tried reassurance. President Obama, speaking at CIA headquarters, took the Fred Rogers approach: "Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn." Yes, children, hypocritical congressional investigations and foreign kangaroo courts are really our friends. House intelligence committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes sent a sympathy note to Langley: "In recent days, as the public debate regarding CIA's interrogation practices has raged, you have been very much in my thoughts." There should be a section at Hallmark for intelligence operatives unfairly accused of war crimes.

The only effective reassurance came from Panetta, who pointed out to Pelosi and others that the CIA actually keeps records of its congressional briefings. "Our contemporaneous records from September 2002," Panetta wrote, "indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaida, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.' " A primary advocate of the "truth commission" has apparently misplaced her own supply

Is there any precedent for a speaker of the House of Representatives seeking political shelter by blaming national security professionals? Or for a commander in chief exposing intelligence methods at the urging of the American Civil Liberties Union?

The answer to Gerson's questions can be found in the 1975 Church Committee that almost destroyed the agency along with Clinton era budget cuts that gutted vital operations and programs. Of course, the Democrats are responsible for both debacles.

And to make their hypocrisy complete, these are the same folks who wept rivers of tears for poor Valerie Plame and her outing as a "secret" agent. For a political party that has spent much of the last 60 years trying to destroy the CIA, they sure picked a curious time to become concerned about America's secrets.

Using our intelligence agencies as political props in their little morality plays is typical behavior for a party that cheered on Philip Agee as he exposed real secret agents in Europe as well as backing partisans for the last 8 years at the agency who used selective leaks to undermine the policy of our elected leaders.

So I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at Pelosi et. al. for their towering hypocrisy. But even for Democrats, their actions in the last week have been shockingly inappropriate and short sighted.

Read the rest of Gerson's article.

Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson absolutely nails it this morning as he skewers the Democrats for trashing the CIA and driving down morale at a time when we are fighting two wars and trying to stop terrorist attacks:

To stanch the CIA's bleeding morale, Democrats have tried reassurance. President Obama, speaking at CIA headquarters, took the Fred Rogers approach: "Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn." Yes, children, hypocritical congressional investigations and foreign kangaroo courts are really our friends. House intelligence committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes sent a sympathy note to Langley: "In recent days, as the public debate regarding CIA's interrogation practices has raged, you have been very much in my thoughts." There should be a section at Hallmark for intelligence operatives unfairly accused of war crimes.

The only effective reassurance came from Panetta, who pointed out to Pelosi and others that the CIA actually keeps records of its congressional briefings. "Our contemporaneous records from September 2002," Panetta wrote, "indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaida, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.' " A primary advocate of the "truth commission" has apparently misplaced her own supply

Is there any precedent for a speaker of the House of Representatives seeking political shelter by blaming national security professionals? Or for a commander in chief exposing intelligence methods at the urging of the American Civil Liberties Union?

The answer to Gerson's questions can be found in the 1975 Church Committee that almost destroyed the agency along with Clinton era budget cuts that gutted vital operations and programs. Of course, the Democrats are responsible for both debacles.

And to make their hypocrisy complete, these are the same folks who wept rivers of tears for poor Valerie Plame and her outing as a "secret" agent. For a political party that has spent much of the last 60 years trying to destroy the CIA, they sure picked a curious time to become concerned about America's secrets.

Using our intelligence agencies as political props in their little morality plays is typical behavior for a party that cheered on Philip Agee as he exposed real secret agents in Europe as well as backing partisans for the last 8 years at the agency who used selective leaks to undermine the policy of our elected leaders.

So I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at Pelosi et. al. for their towering hypocrisy. But even for Democrats, their actions in the last week have been shockingly inappropriate and short sighted.